Retro Wednesday: Remembering The WrestleMania 2 Battle Royal

Before the advent of the 30-man over the top rope battle royal pay per view we know as the Royal Rumble, a battle royal was a part of the WrestleMania 2 event. This event, which took place in the year 1986, was hosted by three different venues - the Nassau Coliseum, Rosemont Horizon and Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The battle royal was in the second wing of matches, presented from the Rosemont Horizon.

The participants in the battle royal varied from football stars, to tag team specialists, to main event stars. to former world champions. Despite the various big men that entered the match, no one towered over the "Eighth Wonder of the World," Andre the Giant. In fact, his presence intimidated most, and he dominated the match all the way to winning it by lastly eliminated Bret Hart.

Eight of the battle royal participants are currently in the WWE Hall of Fame - Bret Hart, Andre the Giant, Iron Sheik, Big John Studd, Pedro Morales, Tony Atlas, Bruno Sammartino and William "The Refrigerator" Perry; Morales, Iron Sheik and Sammartino were all former world champions before the match. It is also interesting to note that Danny Spivey was under his "Golden Boy" gimmick and Harvey Martin - former Dallas Cowboys defensive end - was a host for the short-lived Global Wrestling Federation.

In honor of Andre winning the battle royal, Hulk Hogan announced that there will be an Andre the Giant Memorial battle royal held at WrestleMania 30. While we most likely will not see anyone who participated in the original one, it would bring a good sense of nostalgia by having a few of them appear in a non-wrestling role. Regardless, bringing back this concept partly redeems Batista winning the Royal Rumble, as well as truly give a rising WWE star the opportunity to shine.